Lately hapned in South Wales, and many other Places.

Wherein is described the great losses and wonderfull damages, that hapned thereby,

BY THE

DROWNING OF MANY TOWNES AND VILLAGES,

To the vtter vndooing of many thousandes of people.

Printed at London for W. Barley, and Io. Bayly, and are to be solde in Gratious
Street. 1607. Quarto, black letter, containing twelve pages.

This tract, which is the nineteenth in the order of the catalogue of pamphlets pub. lished in this collection, being requested by N. P. as a great curiosity, and containing several particulars, not to be found in the English history, and serving to illustrate and account for several things, that are, or may be published in the Natural Histories of those parts, where this dreadful inundation happened; we have taken this first opportunity to oblige him and the publick with so extraordinary a relation, which otherwise, in a very short time, might perchance have been intirely lost.

ANY are the dombe warninges of distruction, which the Almighty God hath lately scourged this our kingdome with; and many more are the threatning tokens of his heauy wrath extended towards vs all which, in bleeding hearts, may inforce vs to put on the true garment of repentance, and, like vnto the Niniuits, vnfainedly solicite the sweet mercies of our most louing God: therefore, let vs now call to remembraunce the late grieuous and most lamentable plague of pestilence, wherein the wrath of God tooke from vs so many thousandes of our friendes, kindred, and acquaintance: let us also call to remembraunce the most wicked and pretended malice of the late papisticall conspiracie of traytors, that, with powder, practised the subuersion of this beautifull kingdome: and, lastly, let vs fix our eyes vpon theise late swellinges of the outragious waters, which, of late, now hapned in diuers partes of this realme, together with the ouerflowing of the seas in diuers and sundry places thereof; whose fruitfull valeys, being now ouerwhelmed and drowned with theise most vufortunate and vnseason

able salt waters, doe fore-shew great barrennes and famin to ensue after it, vnlesse the Almightie God, of his great infinit mercy and goodnesse, doe preuent it. But now, oh England! be not ouercome with thine owne folly, be not blinded with the ouermuch securitie of thy selfe, neyther sinke thou thy selfe in thine own sinne; for, since the generall dissolution of the whole world by water, in the time of Noah, neuer the like inundation or watry punishment then hapned, now here related, to the great griefe of all Christian hearers, as, by this sequell, it shall heare appeare.

Upon Tuesday, being the twentieth of Ianuary last past, 1607, in diuers places, aswell in the westerne partes of England, as also in diuers other places of this realme, there hapned such an ouerflowing of waters, such a violent swelling of the seas, and such forcible breaches made into the firme land, namely, into the bosomes of these countries following, that is to say, in the counties of Glocester, Sommerset, together with the countries of Munmouth, Glamorgan, Carmarthen, and diuers and sundry other places of South Wales; the like neuer, in the memory of man, hath euer bin seene or heard of: the suddayne terror whereof strooke such an amazed feare into the hearts of al the inhabitants of those partes, that euery one prepared him selfe ready to enter-. tayne the last period of his liues distruction, deeming it altogether to be a second deluge, or an vniuersal punishment by water.

For upon the Tuesday, being the twentieth of January last, as aforesaid, about nine of the clocke in the morning, the sunne being most fayrely and brightly spred, many of the inhabitantes of those countreys before mencioned, prepared themselues to their affayres, some to one busines, some to an other, cuery man according to his calling. As the plowmen setting foorth their cattle to their labours; the shepheardes feeding of their flockes; the farmers over-seeing of their grounds, and looking to their cattle feeding therein; and so every one imploid in his busines, as occasion required: then they might see and perceiue a far of, as it were in the element, huge and mighty hilles of water, tumbling one ouer another, in such sort, as if the greatest mountaines in the world had ouer-whelmed the lowe valeyes or marshy grounds. Sometimes it so dazled the eyes of many of the spectators, that they immagined it had bin some fogge or miste, comming with great swiftness towardes them, and with such a smoke, as if mountaynes were all on fire; and, to the view of some, it seemed as if myllyons of thousandes of arrowes had bin shot foorth all at one time, which came in such swiftness, as, it was verily thought, that the fowls of the ayre could scarse fly so fast, such was the threatning furyes thereof.

But assoone as the people of those countries percciued that it was the violence of the waters of the raging seas, and that they began to exceede the compasse of their accustomed boundes, and making so furiously towardes them happy were they that could make the best and most speed away, many of them leauing all their goods and substance to the merciles waters, being glad to escape away with life themselues: but so violent and swift were the outragious waues, that pursued one an other with such vehemencie, and the waters multiplying so much in so

short a time, that, in less then five hours space, most part of those countreys (and especially the places which lay lowe) were all ouerflowen, and many hundreds of people, both men, women, and children, were then quite deuoured by these outragious waters; such was the furie of the waues of the seas, the one of them dryuing the other forwardes, with such force and swiftness, that it is almost incredible for any to beleeue the same, except such as tasted of the smart thereof, and such as behelde the same with their eyes: nay more, the farmers, husbandmen, and shepherds might beholde their goodly flockes of sheepe swimming vpon the waters dead, which could by no meanes be recouered.

Many gentlemen, yeomen, and others, had great losses of cattle, as oxen, kine, bullockes, horses, colts, sheepe, swine; nay, not so much as their poultry about their houses, but all were ouerwhelmed and drowned by these merciles waters. Many men, that were rich in the morning, when they rose out of their beds, were made poore before noone the same day: such are the judgements of the Almightie God, who is the geuer of all good thinges; who can, and will dispose of them agayne at all times, according to his good will and pleasure, whensoeuer it shall seeme best vnto him. Many others, likewise, had their habitations or dwelling-houses all carryed away in a short time, and had not a place left them, so much as to shrowde themselues in.

Moreover, many that had great store of corne and grayne in their barnes and garners in the morning, had not, within fiue houres space afterwardes, so much as one grayne to make them bread withall; neither had they so much left as a locke of hay or straw to feede their cattell which were left; such was the great misery they susteyned by the fury of this watry element; from which like, good Lord, I beseech him, of his infinite mercy and goodness, to deliuer vs al.

The names of some of the townes and villages, which suffered great harmes and losses hereby, were these, viz.

Bristoll and Aust; this Aust is a village or town some eight miles distant from Bristoll, vpon the Seauerne side, where all people are ferryed ouer, that come out of Wales into those partes of Gloucester and Sommersetshire.

All the countryes along on both the sides of the river of Seauerne, from Gloucester to Bristoll, which is about some twenty miles, was all ouerflowne, in some places six miles ouer, in some places more, in some lesse.

Moreouer, al or the most parte of the bridges, betweene Gloucester and Bristoll, were all forcibly carryed away with the waters; besides many goodly buildings there abouts much defaced, and many of them carryed quite away; besides many other great losses of al kinde of corne, and grayne, and cattle, that were then lost.

At Aust, many passengers that are ferryed ouer there now, are faine to be guided by guides all along the cauises, where the water still remayneth, for the space of three or four miles, or else they wil be in great daunger of drowning, the water lyeth, as yet, so deepe there.

Many dead carkasses, both there, and in many other places of the

country, are dayly found floating vpon the waters, and, as yet, cannot be knowne who they are, or what number of persons are drowned, by reason of the same waters, which as yet, in many places, remaine very deepe; so great was the spoyle that theise mercilesse elementes there wrought and made.

In Bristoll was much harme done, by the overflowing of the waters, but not so much as in other places; many cellars and warehouses, where great store of merchandize was in (as wine, salt, hops, spices, and other such like ware) were all spoyled. And the people of the towne were inforced to be carryed in boates, vp and downe the said citie, about their busines in the fayre time there.

Upon the other side of the riuer of Seauerne, towards a town called Chepstow, vpon the lower groundes, was much harme done, by the vyolence of the water.

There was, in Chepstow, a woman drowned in her bed, and also a gyrle, by the like misfortune.

Also, all along the same coastes, vp to Gold-clift, Matherne, CalicotMoores, Redrift, Newport, Cardiffe, Cowbridge, Swansey, Laugherne. Llanstephan, and diuers other places of Glamorgan-shire, Munmouthshire, Carmarthen-shire, and Cardigan-shire; many great harmes were there done, and the waters raged so furiously, and with such great vehemencie, that it is supposed that, in those partes, there cannot be so few persons drowned as five hundred, both men, women, and children; besides the losse of abundance of all kinde of corne and grayne, together with their hay, and other prouision which they had made for their cattle.

Moreouer, there were, in the places afore mentioned, many thousandes of cattle, which were feeding in the lowe valeys, drowned and ouerwhelmed with the violence of the furious waters; as oxen, kine, young beastes, horses, sheepe, swine, and such like; the number is deemed infinit; yea, and not so much as turkies, hens, geese, duckes, and other poultry about their houses could once escape away, the waues of the sea so ouerwhelmed them.

And that which is more straunge, there are not now founde onely floating, vpon the waters still remayning, the dead carkasses of many men, women, and children, but also an aboundance of all kinde of wild beastes, as foxes, hares, connies, rats, moules, and such like; some of them swimming one vpon anothers backe, thinking to haue saued themselues thereby; but all was in vaine, such was the force of the waters that ouer-pressed them.

In a place in Munmouthshire, there was a maide went to milke her kine in the morning, but, before she had fully ended her busines, the vehemencie of the waters increased, and so suddenly enuironed her about, that she could not escape thence, but was enforced to make shift vp to the top of an high banke to saue her selfe, which she did with much adoe, where she was constrained to abide all that day and night, vntill eight of the clocke in the next morning, in great distresse; what with the coldnes of the ayre and waters, and what with other accidents that there hapned vnto her, she had bin like there to haue pe

rished, had not the Almightie God, of his infinit mercy and goodnes, preserued her from such great perills and daungers, which were likely

there to ensue vnto her.

But there placing herselfe for saueguard of her life, as aforesaid, having none other refuge to fly vnto; the waters in such violent sort had pursued her, that there was but a small distance of ground left uncouered with waters, for her to abide vpon: there she remayned most pittyfully lamenting the great daunger of life that she was then in, expecting, euery minute of an houre, to be ouerwhelmed with those mercylesse waters but the Almighty God, who is the creator of al good things, when he thought meete, sent his holy angell to commaund the waters to cease their fury, and returne into their accustomed bounds againe, wherby, according to his most blessed will and pleasure, she was then preserued.

In the meane space, during the continuance of her abode there, diuers of her friends practised al the means they could to recouer her, but could not, the waters were of such a deepnes about her, and boates they had none, in all those partes, to succour her; such was their want in this distresse, that many perished through the want thereof.

There was a gentleman of worth, dwelling neere vnto the place where she was, who caused a goodly gelding to be sadled, and set a man upon the backe of him, thinking to have fetcht her away; but such were the deepnes of the waters, that he durst not adventure the same, but retire.

At last, some of her friends deuised a deuise, and tyed two broad troughes the one to the other (such as, in these countreys, they vse to salt bacon in) and put therin two lustie strong men, who, with long powles (stirring these troughes together, as if they had bin boates) made great shift to come to her, and so, by this meanes through God's good helpe, she was then saued.

But now, gentle reader, marke what befell at this time, of the straungeness of other creatures; whom the waters had violently oppressed for the two men, which tooke upon them to fetche away the inaide from the top of the banke, can truly witness the same, as well as herselfe, to be true, for they beheld the same with their eyes.

The hill or bank, where the maid abode al that space, was al so couered ouer with wild beastes and vermin, that came thither to seeke for succour, that she had much adoe to save herselfe from taking of hurt by them; and much adoc she had to keepe them from creeping upon and about her; she was not so much in daunger of the water, on the one side, as she was troubled with these vermin, on the other side.

The beastes and vermin that were there were these, viż.

Dogs, cats, moules, foxes, hares, conyes, yea, and not so much as mice and rats, but were there in aboundance: and that which is more straunge, the one of them neuer once offred to annoy the other; although they were deadly enemies by nature the one to an other. Yet, in this daunger of life, they not once offred to expresse their naturall enuie; but, in a gentle sort, they freely inioyed the liberty of life, which, in mine opinion, was a most wonderful worke in nature.